Through the Portal
by Miss I-Like-Too-Many-Fandoms
Summary: Korra and Asami begin exploring the Spirit World and their budding romance.
1. Flushed and Tangled

**The Legend of Korra belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon.**

The portal was strange. It was brilliant. Blinding. Asami expected warmth and she received it, but there was ice too. There was lightning beneath her skin, in her blood. She was unsure, though, if it was all the portal or Korra too, the lightning surging where they touched. It was weird. To enter fire and ice and a brilliant storm in a destroyed city and to exit into the beautiful, surreal, alien otherworld.

"Wow." Asami cursed her lack of eloquence but there were no words. She was surrounded by beauty, by light, by Korra. She could feel her presence everywhere. This was her realm. This was her. This was the part of her she wanted to explore. When they broke completely free of the portal, she knew the lightning was the woman beside her, the heat. She spun in circles as best she could, keeping her hand tight around Korra's, the bender's laugh making the air shimmer. When she stopped spinning, she found herself drawn close, the lightning reaching a peak.

"I'm so glad you're here with me." She had never seen the cerulean so bright.

"Me too." They stared at each other. They drank the other in but their eyes did not wander, remaining locked on the opposite orbs. They felt themselves falling, falling into each other and they both gasped and turned, hesitant steps turning braver as they chose to explore the fields around them, both failing to hide the blood bright in their cheeks. Their fingers tightened.

"It's so beautiful." Korra looked over, grinning.

"I can't wait to show you everything. The Tree of Time. Hai-Riyo Peak. Xai Bau's Grove. And there's someone I want you to meet."

"It all sounds wonderful." Asami smiled, squeezing the hand in hers. Her smile widened as she watched the Avatar's face flush. They stared again. They leaned forward. The heiress turned, movement catching her eye. A spirit hovered nearby, considering them. Asami watched the spirit pass them and disappear into the portal. "I'm glad they're coming back."

"Really?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've had to rebuild the entire city and accommodate them. You're not the slightest bit bitter?"

"I wasn't accommodating them. I had to do everything for_ people_, the ones not willing to coexist with the spirits. I like the spirits. They…they reminded me of you when you were gone." The industrialist fought the urge to duck her head, keeping her gaze on Korra.

"Sorry for assuming-" The pressure on her hand distracted the waterbender enough to cut her off.

"It's alright." Asami nudged Korra with her elbow, grinning, attempting to pull her further into the field of flowers. She had no idea in which direction she was going but she did not care. "C'mon. What's next? What are we going to do first?" The Avatar stumbled after the raven-haired beauty, her face flushed from the contact, a smile dominating her features. Asami decided then and there that she would do whatever it took to keep that expression on her face.

"Well, I've actually never been here. Mind if we explore a little?"

"Oh, so the Avatar hasn't been _everywhere_?" The taller of the two continued to walk backwards, pulling the bender along with her.

"Hey! The Spirit World's a big place and I'm pretty sure places move." Asami laughed at the disgruntled look on Korra's face.

"Well hopefully this place won't move while we're here."

They picked their way through the flowers carefully, the nonbender naturally cautious of the unfamiliar surroundings, the Avatar vividly recalling the last time she went tromping about without looking. They took their time, walking slowly. Whenever one would get ahead of the other in excitement, they would quickly fall back. These moments of discovery were the only times where their hands were apart, fingers always searching eagerly in between. Neither could think of when they had had more contact, with the other, or with anyone.

This was new. Exciting. Their smiles were practically permanent, their blushing constant, but eventually, the electric energy of exploring someplace magical and new, of testing the electricity between them, lessened. Asami lagged first, her strides becoming shorter and shorter, hiding her yawns poorly from her much more chipper companion. She mused that Korra could probably scale one of the mountains bordering the valley a few times and still would not be tired. The waterbender was nearly vibrating, had been since they stepped out of the portal.

Despite her own clear distance from exhaustion, Korra was not oblivious to Asami's wavering. After the fifth poorly disguised yawn from the young woman behind her, she stopped, but before she could turn around, Asami bumbled into her, sending them sprawling to the ground. Korra understood that she had not been prepared nor was she standing in necessarily the most stable of ways but she was baffled by how the mishap occurred with the heiress walking so slowly. While she worked through the mechanics of what had just happened, her companion awoke from her exhaustion induced haze.

"Korra are you alright? I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." Asami's hands wandered over the hair, shoulders, and back below her, lingering a tad longer than necessary in regards for concern. Korra shifted enough to face Asami, but remained beneath the taller woman.

"I'm fine, just a bit surprised." She chuckled, tucking a stray lock of ebony hair behind the ear hovering above her. She did not retract her hand, running her thumb across Asami's cheekbone. She whispered a lie. "An eyelash." They blinked at each other, eyes bright, faces flushed. They were falling again. Hurtling towards each other. Breathing the same air. Then Asami slid off of Korra, rolling on to her back, her shoulder brushing the flustered Avatar's.

The sky was awash with colors. Asami swore there were colors she had never seen before. The awed nonbender tangled her fingers with Korra's once more, their breathing evening out as they admired the sky.

"It doesn't get dark here. Not like in the physical world." Korra reddened, remembering how she had learned that particular lesson. She was thankful that the woman beside her could not see her face.

"But it does get dark?" Asami sat up a bit, resting on one arm. Korra nearly choked, thinking for a moment that the heiress was going to lay her head on her shoulder, ebony hair brushing her bare skin.

"Sometimes." The Avatar ached to tell Asami everything, the whole truth, that the Spirit World had not been this bright in ages and it was because of her but the words were stuck in her throat, heavy with nerves.

"So we'll just sleep when we're tired then?"

"I do that anyway-" The raven-haired beauty shoved her lightly, earning a cheeky grin.

"You know what I meant." The sentence was punctuated by a yawn.

"We can camp here."

"I'm sorry. I'm just so tired."

"I was going to stop here anyway before you tackled me." Korra's grin widened as color flooded Asami's face. They stared at each other for several moments before sitting up, silently setting up their camp, the very little of it there was.

"Korra, what are you doing?" The taller of the duo watched her companion in confusion, brow furrowed. Asami had unfurled her bedroll and slipped beneath it but Korra had shifted a bit away, simply laying on her pack.

"Trying to sleep?"

"You didn't pack a bedroll?"

"I don't need one. I got used to sleeping without one."

"Oh. I…nevermind."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon, 'Sami." The heiress' breath hitched.

"We could share." The words escaped without her consent. She backpedaled quickly as Korra sat up. "I mean that's what I was thinking. That we could share. If you had forgotten your bedroll. But you didn't forget it and if you'd rather-." Asami could not believe she was rambling. She never rambled. Thankfully, she was cut off as Korra approached and slid in beside her.

There was no room. They had to lay half on top of each other, legs tangled together. Asami's hair was everywhere, constantly finding its way into Korra's mouth. Korra was too warm, burning through the nonbender's clothes. They were constantly elbowing and jabbing the each other on accident, whispering apologies into shoulders and necks. There was no way this was more comfortable than the ground, but it was. Neither minded the lack of space one bit.

They shifted throughout the "night," tangling and disentangling over and over again, but they never let the other's hand go.


	2. Fall

Korra was the first to wake up, shifting, confused for a moment before she remembered where she was and who she was intertwined with. Asami was sprawled across her, as sprawled as she could be given the tiny bedroll, her head tucked into the bender's neck, an arm tucked beneath Korra's and hooked behind her shoulder. Their fingers were tangled together above them, Korra's arm thrown back in the grass. The human pillow settled back down after adjusting to her surroundings, relaxing with a grin into Asami's crushing embrace. She traced the sleeping woman's features with her eyes, her fingers itching to reach out. The sharp line of her jaw, how softly her eyelashes rested on her cheekbones, Korra was captivated by Asami.

The heiress groaned, her head rising from Korra's neck to settle against her cheek. The Avatar swore her heart stopped. Asami's hair felt like daggers against her chin and ear but she was too focused on the lips now precariously close to her own. Before she could even really wrap her head around what was going on and how she was not currently dead from being so close to the raven-haired beauty, green eyes blinked open. Confusion. Shock. Happiness. Korra watched these emotions flick across the nonbender's face in amusement. Her light chuckle was replaced by a gasp, however, when Asami smiled sleepily and nuzzled Korra's cheek.

"You're a wonderful pillow." The waterbender had never heard the business tycoon's voice husky with sleep. If she was not already certain that she was already dead, she knew the sound would have killed her.

"I…uh…thanks." After several minutes of quiet nuzzling, Asami tensed, having awoken fully. Just as she was about to jerk away, apologies hot on her tongue, she felt rough but soothing fingers running through her hair. She relaxed, squeezing the hand still attached to Korra's.

"This is nice."

"I'm really glad I didn't bring a bedroll." Korra stiffened, the words tumbling out on accident. The way Asami's body moved against her as she laughed both relaxed and wound her up more.

"Me too." Silence descended upon the duo, both lost in daydreams of the "nights" that would follow, wrapped up in each other. The heiress sat up lazily, enough to really look at Korra but still sprawled across her. She maneuvered her arm out from beneath the Avatar's shoulder, where it had been tucked beneath. Her fingers traced the side of Korra's face almost absently until she noticed the blush appearing beneath her fingertips. She grinned.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you. I told you you were a wonderful pillow."

"Oh. Right."

"You?"

"What?" Cerulean had been glazed, staring at Asami's lips again.

"How did you sleep?"

"Oh. It was great. Best I've gotten in a while."

"Even with me crushing you?"

"Please. You're not crushing me."

"You wouldn't tell me if I was anyway, would you?" Korra only smiled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind the heiress' ear. "So, what are we up to today?" The Avatar blanked. She had kind of planned of course. There were places she wanted to go but it was not like she had an itinerary. Korra berated herself. Asami would have loved an itinerary. The panic must have shown on the bender's face because the engineer quickly backtracked. "Not that I'm not definitely for us just laying here for for-…awhile." Blood rushed to Asami's face at her slip. "I was just wondering and I figured that at some point you would like for me to climb off of you." Korra gaped at the woman above her.

"You don't have to, I like you on top of me. Wait! That's not what I meant! Well it was but…uh…let's get going." Asami scrambled off of the very flustered Avatar, grinning. She offered a hand, bringing the shorter woman to her feet. They packed their things quickly. Now that they were up, they were eager to start off again. "Pick a direction." Korra chuckled at the arched brow she received in response. "Where's your sense of adventure?" The twitch in the heiress' jaw brought a smile to her face. Asami scanned their surroundings. They were nearly out of the valley. There was a break in the mountains, a less obvious route. Her gaze returned to Korra, a mischievous glint in her eye. She wanted revenge for questioning her spontaneity.

"Maybe tonight we can find out if I like you on top of me." Before the waterbener could sputter out a "What?!" Asami had shouldered her pack and was walking toward the gap in the mountains. Korra could not breathe for several seconds, staring after the heiress. When she finally collected herself, Asami was quite a bit a ways, forcing the Avatar to jog to catch up. They linked hands silently when they were finally equal with each other. They had held hands every waking and sleeping moment the day before. They squeezed each other's fingers. Neither thought they would grow tired of the contact.

Their walk was full of not so sneaky glances and playful shoving, their fingers intertwining and stroking and squeezing in every combination. With every sly remark, they wanted to kiss the smirk of the other's face, but neither did, nerves tightening with every thought. Despite the ribbing, most of their stroll was silent.

As they neared the gap, Asami slowed, her brow furrowing until she finally stopped, her entire face screwed up in confusion.

"What is it?"

"It…It didn't look like this." The heiress began moving forward again, as if approaching a wild animal.

The gap between the mountains had been very visible from their makeshift camp. It had seemed at least hundreds of feet across, hence why Asami could see it, but now, the gap could only be transversed in single file and sideways, sliding between the mountains. Korra's lips quirked up in a grin at the confusion laced in the engineer's features.

"Things change here and nothing is as it seems. It's almost like the Spirit World is in a constant state of…" Korra reached for the right word, her hands following suit.

"Flux?" Asami's suggestion was quiet and essentially absent, her eyes glued to the strange gap.

"Yes! Flux! Everything's always changing and moving around. Sometimes it's like space bends." Korra considered mentioning the strange sort of travel she was capable of but dismissed it, Asami had enough to consider as is.

"So you knew this would happen?"

"Not really, no. I'm just not surprised."

"Did…did you see it change?"

"No."

"Oh. Good." Korra stroked a thumb over Asami's hand as she relaxed. They halted before the gap, staring up. There was a sliver of sky visible within the tight space. Thankfully, the gap did not appear all that long, though the heiress maintained plenty of trepidations. "You don't think it will…crush us do you?" The waterbender squeezed the hand in hers.

"I don't think so and don't worry, I've got you. Since we came in through the portal, I can still bend. I won't let anything happen to you, Asami." They shared a long look before the heiress took a deep breath and shimmied into the crack between the mountains. Korra followed, keeping their hands linked even as they dragged themselves through the gap. The warm, slick weight around her hand comforted Asami, grounded her. She was used to tight spaces, sure, but they were not stagnant. They moved and hummed. This was a quiet tightness, heavier. It made her heart race.

Whenever Asami would pause for the slightest of moments, Korra would squeeze her hand and whisper an encouraging word. Korra was not exactly fond of the position she was in but she was at least comforted, mostly, by the fact that she could probably move the mountain if she needed to. They reached the end of the gap without incident, however, Asami breathing a sigh of relief as she practically threw herself through the gap and back into the open air. She had scraped her shoulder rather painfully in her excitement but she hardly noticed. When Korra freed herself from the confining rock, they stared at each other for a beat and then burst out laughing. A few spirits that had been hanging around scattered at the ruckus, making them laugh even more.

As their mirth died down, tears drying on their faces, they found their eyes locking again. They squeezed the other's hand at the same time, flashing quick, small smiles before moving closer. Their eyes flickered across each other's faces. Korra counted Asami's eyelashes. Asami traced the bridge of Korra's nose. Chins. Eyebrows. Cheeks. Foreheads. Eventually, their gazes settled on the same feature, the other's lips. They were leaning forward, falling together, eyes closing, and then they actually fell. The earth swallowed them.

Asami's head hit something. Hard. Before she could really process the impact, she was flying forward, her back sliding against the earth. The sudden cold surrounding her feet was the only warning before she found herself submerged in water. She was beginning to find her bearings, her eyes clenched shut, when she dropped. There was no water, no earth, nothing. She was simply falling. She was too terrified to scream. She smashed through the water, gasping at the force of it and allowing water to flood her mouth. She rocketed to the surface, unsure of how she managed it, but she did not dwell on it, throwing her eyes open wide as she sucked in all the air she could. It was a mistake, a horrible impulse, sending her sputtering and gasping and retching. Then, there was a pull in her chest and the water was forcing its way back. It was not painful but it was strange and scary until it was gone, leaving her mouth in a stream and returning to the stream.

Now able to breathe, Asami finally took in her surroundings. She was in the middle of a shockingly narrow but deep stream. The grass was different and so were the trees, but the sky was the same. The heiress had expected everything to be upside down after her terrifying slide. Finally, she noticed that she was not exactly level with what she was seeing. She was practically perched on Korra's shoulders, clinging to her frame. She disentangled herself quickly, her face turning a vibrant shade of red.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

"You almost drowned and you're asking me if I'm alright?" Korra's face was streaked with dirt, a cut resting above her eyebrow, but she appeared otherwise unhurt. Asami's concern did not waver however. "Yes, yes. I'm fine."

"Thank you."

"For what?" Korra shook her head, attempting to force her soaked bangs out of her eyes.

"For saving me."

"Oh, that. Anytime." She flashed a smile, which widened as she watched some of the tension ease from the heiress' shoulders. The Avatar guided the clearly still very shaken businesswoman out of the stream and back on to dry land.

"What was all that?" Korra turned to answer the question but froze, her mouth hanging open as the words died on her tongue. Asami was not looking at her, too busy struggling with her jacket, which had become practically a second skin. The waterbender wondered, briefly, at how something that appeared so thick could actually be so sinfully thin. Korra had not even had the chance to observe how the heiress' pants had tightened around her legs, too busy tracing the drop of water travelling down Asami's neck and into her cleavage, the jacket having finally been discarded. Korra's eyes had just graced the top of the engineer's chest, her white tank top plastered to her skin when she was jerked to attention by the clearing of a throat. She retraced the paths cerulean had followed, returning to Asami's face. The Avatar flushed.

"I don't think the answer to my question is on my chest." Korra managed a shaky laugh.

"I…uh…don't really have a straight answer for you. These things just…kind of happen. The same thing happened when Jinora led me here. We were separated then. I thought it was a sort of defense. Now, I'm not sure." Asami nodded, her brow furrowed, lips pursed. Korra hated that she did not know more.

"Do you know where we are?"

"No idea." Asami nodded a bit jerkily, her gaze lowering to her jacket, which she fiddled with in her hands. A sudden blast of hair shocked her, nearly sending her back into the stream. When she looked up, the Avatar smiled sheepishly before unshouldering her pack and rummaging through it. She withdrew a rolled up parchment.

"You have a map?"

"Kind of. Like I said, everything kind of moves. This just sort of helps identify places and gives a vague location." Asami moved closer to read the map as Korra studied it.

"Did you make this?"

"Oh, no. A friend did. He gave it to me. I've added to it though. I spent quite a bit of time here when I was…gone." The heiress placed a hand on the bender's arm, unable to hold her hand at the moment, and gave a gentle squeeze. They stood in silence for a few moments. Asami opened her mouth to speak, but thankfully Korra beat her to it. "I think I know where we are. Works out pretty well too. I was going to bring you here anyway." Korra had looked up, her eyes bright with excitement and a smile on her face. Asami attempted to mirror the expression but her confusion muddled it. "We're near the Tree of Time."


	3. Shift

"Korra, this map doesn't make any sense."

"The Spirit World doesn't make any sense."

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Do you want to lead the way?" Silence. Korra noticed the slightest of darkening of the sky. "I'm sorry. I…I just want this vacation to be perfect and I was so worried back there." Asami tugged at Korra's hand, pulling her to a stop.

"I'm sorry too. Just a little on edge I guess. And this vacation won't be perfect." She placed a finger beneath the downcast Avatar's chin, drawing her up. "We're going to bumble into disaster and it will be fine, because we're together. That's all I care about, Korra. That we're here _together_." The lightning had returned, arcing through their veins. The heiress swore the air was crackling around them. Korra reached up, taking the hand at her chin into her own, gripping both of Asami's hands. She brought them close to her lips, her intention clear, but before she could press her lips against the nonbender's skin, she spoke.

"Little cutie!"

"What?" Asami flushed. She received no answer, however. Korra broke away, brushing past her in a flash, kneeling a few feet away. The engineer's blush deepened in embarrassment at her mistake. She could not help the frown, a little too irritated that she was not the "little cutie" and even more irritated that she was bothered in the first place. She mentally berated herself as she approached the kneeling waterbender, catching sight of the very adorable spirit in front of Korra. She had to admit that the spirit was indeed a "little cutie."

Korra and the spirit had just finished exchanging pleasantries as Asami took her place behind the shorter woman's shoulder, evidenced by the spirit snuggled into the Avatar's stomach, hugging as well as it could given its tiny arms. When the spirit finally pulled back, it remained on Korra's knee, beaming up at its friend.

"We're a little lost." The spirit's gaze finally met Asami's as it ignored the Avatar for the moment. The heiress nearly stumbled backwards at the force of the spirit's greeting.

"Asami!"

"Uh…Hi." The spirit climbed from Korra's knee to her shoulder to get a better look at the nonbender.

"I've been watching over you. Kind of."

"Oh. Thanks. May I ask why?"

"Because Korra thinks about you a lot." The spirit swayed easily as Korra jerked and stuttered, her face turning a brilliant shade of scarlet. Asami's face colored as well, but her grin was much more prominent.

"You must really care for her."

"I do!" The spirit straightened as much as it could, pushing out its unsubstantial chest.

"Good. Me too." Korra sputtered again, jerking around, attempting to watch the spirit and Asami but failing miserably, especially with her spirit friend pushing her head as it leaned against her. The heiress watched the struggling bender in amusement for a moment before taking pity on her. "Do you think you could help us? We're lost."

"We're only a little lost, I know where-" The spirit covered her kneeling friend's mouth, earning a pair of wide, shocked azure eyes.

"Of course! That's why I came here." Asami smiled, stepping away so the spirit could hop off of Korra. They headed off immediately, leaving the heiress and Avatar to catch up, the latter aribending herself off the ground so as not to be left behind. For such a small thing, the spirit covered a surprising amount of ground, much to Asami's astonishment. She did not exactly need to run to keep pace, but they were certainly not walking.

As she followed the spirit, Asami found her mind wandering to something other than Korra for the first time in several days. She was not cold. Or hot. When she thought about it, she realized that the water earlier had been cold but that she was not afterwards, not even before Korra bended them dry. The Spirit World simply was. She was not hungry. The cogs began whirring quickly in her mind as she considered the ramifications and mechanics of the world she found herself in, soon almost completely consumed by her own thoughts.

The sudden appearance of their destination sent everything rushing to a halt, leaving her dumbstruck. She had not seen what now was before them in the distance, it just, abruptly, was. The engineer could not even remember what she had seen in the moment right before she processed the new. Was it even new? When she regained her bearings as much as she could and the ability to think, she realized that the spirit had vanished.

"Where'd they go?" Her eyes narrowed as she watched the clearly amused Avatar shrug.

"Are you alright there?"

"You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." They mock glared at each other for a few beats before they broke out into grins, linking hands once again (When had they let go? Neither could remember), moving closer to the larger than life tree. Asami inspected the structure critically, but wonder shone through her features. "The Tree of Time. This was Vaatu's prison for ten thousand years." The heiress bit back an "I know." She was a bit wary and embarrassed to reveal to her that if her extensive studying was known, Asami would be considered an expert on everything involving the Avatar. She had scoured libraries around the world, taking advantage of her brief business deals away from Republic City, even enlisting the White Lotus in obtaining tomes for her.

Her gaze slid from the tree to her right and then her left, studying the other spirit portals in the distance. The terrain was strange, sharp and ringed, dark and foreboding, but there was so much light. The portals were brilliant even in the distance. The sky was as bright as Asami had seen it so far. Korra had never seen it any brighter. Her eyes raked the Tree. It looked just like all the other trees they had passed but it was different as well, not just larger, different in its entirety. It was not just the gaping hole at its core or how its branches were the most gnarled, it leaked ancient power, making Asami's skin itch. If she could feel it, she knew Korra was swimming in the force. She felt a tug at her wrist and a twinge in her ankle and she was heading towards the ground, but Korra turned and caught her. She had stumbled on the jagged rocks leading up to the Tree. They were being drawn in. There was a pull somewhere in their navels. The waterbender could not even be bothered to ask the taller woman is she was alright, the words burning then dying on her tongue as they continued up the slope, climbing as quickly as their clasped hands would allow.

They stood at the base and stared up. Reluctantly, they broke their hold on each other, their fingers sliding apart slowly, lingering. They climbed. They reached the lip of the opening together, standing at opposite ends, hands resting against the side. Korra turned first, smiling at Asami. The engineer returned the expression before turning back and dropping inside, believing the Avatar to be right behind her. She was wrong.

Asami had read and read, her eyes blurring words older than her and her father and all of her friends combined. She had lived and breathed stained parchment and ancient ink. She had lost count of the nights she had fallen asleep in her study, face pressed to the pages of some obscure work. She knew the Tree of Time was beyond ancient, older than the Avatar, as old as Raava and Vaatu, maybe even older than the physical world. She knew Avatar Wan had sealed Vaatu inside of it and all that had caused in her lifetime. She did not know, however, what the Tree of Time did, what happened when one was inside of it and not the spirit of chaos and darkness. Now she did.

The Tree of _Time_. Of course. Asami barely had time to curse her foolishness, however. She was surrounded by people and places and times. Memories. They were not in order. She watched her mother fall at the foot of a faceless man, again, then saw her smiling widely at her, speaking her name softly. Asami was not sure which memory hurt her more. Her father teaching her how to drive. Hiroshi slipping her candy when her mother was not looking. Her first Satomobile that she built with her own hands. Her father's hands over hers as he showed her how to fix a combustion engine. An aircraft hanger. Planes. Her father tearing into her mechsuit, murder in his eyes. A different mechsuit, different eyes. _I love you, Dad_. A plasma saw. No more time. Ejection. Asami turned and turned, trying to escape, trying to run from her memories but she could not. Her entire life was being played out before her and she could not look away. A bike wreck when she was six, her father pushing a nanny away to bandage her leg himself, a kiss on the knee. A scooter wreck over a decade later. A date. Young love. Betrayal. Heartbreak. Her father's secret workshop. Her own secret workshop. Another gala. Mako on her arm. Korra. Korra. Korra. Her father flickered in and out but her memories shifted. Meeting Korra. Hating Korra. Admiring Korra. Probending matches. Watching Mako and Korra walk away. Mako and Korra dating. Korra. Just Korra. Fighting alongside Korra. Korra wrecking her car. Twice. Out of order. Girlfriend. A blush. A hug in a restaurant. An argument. Waving farewell to a ship. Korra falling. Korra screaming in the middle of the night, reaching out for her wheelchair. Tireless hours sketching a wheelchair. Unopened letters from prison. One letter from Korra. Playing Pai Sho in a tiny hotel room. Carrying Korra through the streets of the Misty Palms Oasis. Waking up chained to a wall with a trapped Korra. Learning Pai Sho from her father. Pai Sho in prison. Hiroshi behind a desk, speaking animated only the phone, turning to smile and beckon her in. A family vacation she did not know she remembered. Talking shop with her father. A large, boisterous industrialist shifted into a small, frail inmate. The hurt remained but it was a soft pain. She could breathe. Korra again. Just her face. Smiling. The memory wavered, shivering until it was gone and suddenly the tree was a tree again. Korra's face was there, a few feet away, the brilliant light of the Spirit World behind her. This Korra was not a smiling, her brow furrowed in concern.

Asami wanted her to smile. She ran and crashed into the bender, her arms wrapping around her neck. They did not fall together. They collided, the heiress hitting first. Her lips were hard and wet. Korra tasted tears. The Avatar's lips were hesitant, shaking, but her hands were not, tangling in ebony locks and tight around narrow hips. They were locked together. Chest to chest. Hips to hips. Their noses bumped and their teeth clashed. It was not the kiss they had dreamt of or planned but it was the kiss they needed, tears running between them, salt on their tongues. It was an eternity. As they broke apart, the new memory flashed around them, the shared event switching viewpoints often, turning and twisting, unsure of when one's memory began and the other's ended.

"Did you…did you see any of that?" They pressed their foreheads together, noses brushing. Their lips touched as Asami spoke.

"No." Korra did not need an explanation for the vague question.

"You planned this."

"Yes."

"You knew I needed this."

"No."

"What?" She almost jerked back.

"I didn't know anything. I didn't know what would happen. I thought you would hate me. I thought you would break down and beg to go home. I didn't think you'd kiss me." Her eyes flickered down.

"Quite the risk."

"You're worth it." Korra smiled. They kissed again.


	4. An Old Friend

They had spent quite some time inside the Tree.

As they descended, they shook not from the ancient power surging around them, but from the force between them. As they made their way towards whatever was next, their fingers tight around the other's, the weight of much passed time and of the day settled upon them. There was no time in the Spirit World but they could measure its passage in their bodies, the press of exhaustion.

"I thought I had forgotten my mother's face." Korra jerks to a stop, her eyes roving her companion's face. The Tree of Time was far behind them, or at least, as far as anything could be in the Spirit World. "Thank you, Korra. Just…thank you."

"Asami-" The aforementioned pulled Korra close, a hand at her jaw as she met her lips with her own. No tears. No teeth. Their lips were soft and moved in tandem, as if this was not just their second kiss. They were pressed together tightly, every curve lined up, but their hold on the other was gentle. Asami's thumb brushed Korra's cheek as their lips continued to slide together. Calloused fingers rested at the heiress' collarbone, a dark arm wrapped around her waist. This kiss was everything their first was not. Both wondered what it would be like to compare the memory of the two, but their thoughts quickly returned to one they were intertwined with. When they finally broke apart, it was with much reluctance, cheeks flushed and the other's breath heavy on their lips. "I like this."

"What part do you like?" They were whispering, grins cracking their features wide open.

"The part where you thank me with a kiss. Is this going to be a regular thing?" Asami laughs, shoving the smirking Avatar.

"Maybe." The way Asami's eyes raked over her sent a shiver down Korra's spine. "I'd like for part of it to be regular."

"What?"

"Kissing, you idiot." They mock glowered at each other for several moments before erupting into laughter, pulling each other close again, tangling their fingers between them.

"I've been waiting to kiss you for a while."

"Why did you wait?" Korra shrugged, her gaze settling on Asami's boots.

"I don't know. Scared, I guess?"

"I'd tell you not to be but I'm scared too. We'll figure this out together."

"Together." The waterbender looked up, blood flooding her cheeks. "Speaking of together." Asami smiled while her heart hammered in her chest. "We're together right? As in actually together? Because I like you. I mean I really really like you and we're here and we kissed and-" She takes a shuddering breath. "Will you be my girlfriend? _Girlfriend _not girl who-" The lips she was beginning to become familiar with cut her off.

"Yes, Korra." The dopiest grin spread across the Avatar's face.

"So, we're dating?"

"We are on vacation, just the two us, in the Spirit World, essentially alone. Some first date, huh?" Korra laughed, wrapping the taller girl in her arms and lifting her up. Though, normally, Asami would have appreciated the embrace and the way strong arms were snaked around her, but said strong arms were a bit too strong. "Don't crush your girlfriend." Korra dropped Asami immediately, her hands wandering in an attempt to straighten the heiress' rumpled jacket.

"Sorry!"

"Don't apologize for hugging me, let's just remember that I'm not the strongest being on the planet who could probably punch her way through a mountain." Asami quelled the urge to roll her eyes at the way Korra puffed up at her words.

"Which reminds me, the whole gap-in-the-mountain-and-fall-to-our-doom-thing? Let's not count that as our first date."

"It wasn't that bad."

"You almost drowned."

"I've been on worse dates." Asami laughed at Korra's expression, doubt chiseled in the arch of her brow and the curve of her lips. "Honestly! And aside from the having no idea what was going on and the almost drowning parts, it was…fun?"

"You are the worst liar."

"The first day was our first date."

"What?"

"Exploring the fields and sleeping in the flowers was our first date. It was perfect."

"Yeah, it was."

"Today wasn't too bad either." She winked.

"Even with all the…sad stuff?"

"Yes, even with all the sad stuff. All the kissing certainly helped." They grinned at each other, squeezing the other's hand. Korra began their trek again, pulling Asami along until they were in stride. "We've had two successful dates."

"Well who said this date was over?" Korra grinned before suddenly stopping, her eyes wide. They had only travelled a few yards. "Wait. Can we count them as dates? We weren't technically dating until I asked you, right?" Asami chuckled, leaning down to leave a peck on the tip of Korra's nose.

"We can do whatever we want. Does it really mater, anyway?"

"No." They smile at each other for what must be the hundredth time, leaning towards each other, eyes half closed. Before their lips brush, however, Korra gasps and runs past Asami for the second time that "day." The nonbender turns, eyes closed, sighing. She was getting a bit tired of Korra being excited over something over her shoulder at the most inconvenient of times. When she finally opened her eyes, her irritation vanished, her mouth opening in shock.

"It's so good to see you again, Korra."

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Korra receives a hearty laugh in response. "Asami, come here. There's someone I'd like you to meet." The heiress approaches with as much grace as her shock and awe allows. She flushes when Korra tangles their fingers together immediately, earning a gentle smile from the legend across from her.

"General Iroh." Asami attempts a bow, her fingers still locked with Korra's, but is quickly stopped by the laughter from Korra and the old general himself.

"Please, just Iroh. My great-great-nephew is the general now."

"Iroh, then." The heiress smiles, the red fading from her cheeks. "It's an honor to meet you."

"The honor is all mine, Miss Sato. Oh, sorry. We haven't been properly introduced, but, word travels fast here in the Spirit World. Though I must say I haven't heard what you two are up to?" There's a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"We're on vacation." Korra's proud statement soon turns in on itself, her shoulders falling a bit as she is struck, for once, by the sheer ridiculousness of it all. "You must think we're so stupid and irresponsible. Running off when the world is still rebuilding. When the city your nephew founded is being rebuilt-" Asami drops the waterbender's hand to bring her close, an arm around her back and another at her jaw, drawing her to rest her head in the crook of her neck. She finds, surprisingly, that she does not care about their audience, much more concerned with Korra.

"Korra, it's okay. We've talked about this. Don't you remember? Even Tenzin gave us his blessing." She's still running her fingers through short locks when Iroh speaks.

"No one in the world deserves a vacation more than the Avatar, Korra. I know my nephew could have used one when he was your age. Aang too. Every one of them in fact. The Earth…what are they calling it now? Federation? Is well on its way to stability and it's because of you. I watched Zuko rebuild our nation and begin another with Aang. I wonder if his hardships with his own love, Mai, would have been worked out much sooner if he had taken a vacation like yours." He winks, causing the couple to flush.

"Thank you, Iroh." Korra straightens, her hand returning to holding Asami's.

"Maybe when you get back you can tell my nephew that you're never too old for a vacation. Now, would you two care to join me for tea?"

"Of course!" Asami is whisked away before she really has a chance to process what is going on, pulled alongside her girlfriend as they follow Iroh into the forrest, which again, Asami had not seen until they were walking into. She did, however, see the clearing through the trees and was much less shocked when they escaped the canopy of trees and found what must be Iroh's home.

Korra practically shoves Asami on to the bench and settles beside her, the table much emptier than the last time she had drank tea with Iroh. There were no strange spirits, just Iroh, his teapot, and the snacks he seemingly had pulled from thin air. The Avatar was bursting with questions, but she waited for Iroh to take his seat, having to fetch the teapot. Her eyes lit up when he set it on the table, her fingers itching to run across its surface. _Her_ teapot. It was comforting to know that despite her connection to the past lives, she retained this small connection, this rush of knowing an item that had belonged to her in her first life.

"Where are your friends?" Korra had not meant to blurt out her question so rudely, but Iroh seemed nonplussed.

"They've gone to explore Republic City. A lot of spirits have. They're all very excited about the new portal."

"Really?"

"Many of them have always wanted to return to or explore the physical world but found the poles rather unpleasant and the idea of travel bothersome. You've made it much easier for spirits to travel between both worlds."

"What about you?" Korra jerks a bit in surprise at Asami's voice. The heiress had been silent since they had set off for tea. Iroh smiles sadly.

"I cannot return to the physical world. I gave up my body to remain here." He reaches out to place his hand upon Asami's. "Don't be sad for me, Asami. There's not much left in the physical world for me. I made the decision to leave a long time ago." He laughs. "You could say I've been on a vacation for nearly sixty years." He removes his hand and passes out cups, pouring the tea. Korra is buzzing with excitement, her hand almost painfully tight around Asami's under the table.

"That's my teapot." Asami pauses, her cup almost to her lips. She glances at Korra before looking more closely at the teapot, her eyes widening.

"Oh! The one Avatar Wan carried Raava in." Iroh and Korra both stare at Asami, who had clenched her mouth shut once she realized what she had just said, her face turning a brilliant shade of red.

"How do you-"

"Wow. This tea is really good, Iroh. I can't figure out what it is though." Iroh smiles knowingly at the heiress as she interrupts Korra.

"There's a bit of light in every cup." Korra's excitement has returned, but she is not completely distracted from Asami's strange behavior, tucking the information away for a later time.

They sip tea and talk about Korra's first meeting with Iroh so long ago, Korra blushing and interjecting at various points. She is no longer hesitant about telling Asami her connection to the Spirit World's state. Somehow, Iroh being there helps or maybe it is simple because she was back where she had learned it all and now she was truly an adult and not the child she was at the time, physically and mentally.

"So…when you're upset, it storms here in the Spirit World?"

"Only if I'm here. Human emotions impact the environment here and the spirits themselves. Dark emotion breeds dark spirits. Since I'm the Avatar, my emotions are even more powerful here."

"I've never seen the sky so bright here in all my years." Korra flushes at Iroh's words and knowing look, ducking her head. It takes Asami a few moments, but when it finally clicks, a faint blush crosses her cheeks as she grins. The old firebender chuckles at the two. "Korra, why didn't you mention you had such a wonderful woman in your life? I would think it would have come up at least once with how many times we have run into each other." Korra's head pops up with quite some force, her face an even darker shade of red.

"Uh…well…" Asami squeezes her hand.

"We just started dating."

"Ah. So there's no grand tale to entertain an old man?" Iroh glances between the two, already knowing his answer.

"We dated the same guy!" Asami's head hits the table at Korra's outburst. She recovers quickly, shooting the sheepish Avatar a look.

"After the dating fiasco, we became friends. We had spent time together before, sure, but nothing really substantial."

"Then we became best friends!" Korra piped up, shifting closer to Asami who pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"And then…well…" They look at each other, their gaze heavy. Though thoroughly amused, Iroh interrupts them with a plate of snacks. The couple jerks apart at the clatter of the plate, their fingers still laced beneath the table. Asami eyes the cakes in confusion and then remembers her question about the tea but quickly decides, for once, to let her burning curiosity go and reaches for a cake. Korra has already eaten three cakes by the time she finishes her first.

They drink more tea and eat more cakes, swapping stories. Eventually, Iroh gets the whole story, strange love triangle and all. He tells them stories about the Dragon of the West that cannot be found in any history text. Asami explains the latest developments in technology, even revealing a few that are still in development. Korra has to kick her old friend a few times when he flirts with Asami, earning only winks and chuckles. They talk for what must be hours, though neither Korra or Asami have any real idea of how long they sit at that table. They even get a tour of Iroh's small home. Korra jokes about getting them such a house, which sends Asami into a coughing fit. Korra is almost thankful when she notices her girlfriend yawning. She was rather tired herself.

"It's been so nice talking to you again, Iroh."

"The same goes for you and again, feel free to come by again. In this life or the next." Korra smiles and hugs him tight. Asami is shocked to find herself pulled into a hug. Unbeknownst to her, Iroh and her girlfriend are communicating silently behind her back, Korra telling the old man to watch it, much to tea maker's delight.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Iroh." Asami gives a small bow when they pull apart.

"The pleasure was all mine, Asami." Iroh presses a kiss to the heiress' hand, earning a look from the Avatar. "Enjoy the rest of your vacation, but be careful. As you know, Korra, there are many sprits here who hold much fiercer prejudices against humans, Avatar or not, than the rest of their kind." Korra gives a last nod before leading Asami back into the forest, an updated map in hand.


	5. Warmth

Unbeknownst to Asami, they had just walked in a circle, Korra too embarrassed to say that she had decided she wanted to go into the opposite direction and to avoid suspicion and running into Iroh, she had led them into the forest and around the clearing in which Iroh lived once before actually moving with some purpose to her intended destination. Though she had no idea where they were going, Asami was content, her hand warm in Korra's as she enjoyed the beautiful forest around them. She could not imagine the terrifying place Korra and Iroh had described earlier though she did not doubt the truth of their words, her blind upside-down slide and near drowning immediately sprang to mind. She shook her head, dispelling the memory, but not quickly enough to avoid the log Korra had so gracefully leapt over, leaving Asami to stumble and fall. Her face never connected with the strange undergrowth, swift arms catching her.

"Alright there?" A smile was playing at Korra's lips as Asami flushed. Korra pulled her up but did not move away, keeping the taller woman tight to herself. Asami attempted to straighten her hair.

"I'm fine. I was just lost in my head a bit." Korra looked away, her eyes wandering over the trees to their left. "You've been doing that a lot."

"Falling?" Asami's laugh choked off as she watched the furrow form in Korra's brow, cerulean bright with worry.

"Thinking." The nonbender did her best to bite back another flip response. "Is everything alright?" Asami tucked a stray piece of hair behind Korra's ear, but the strand returned to its previous place. It was just an excuse to touch her face.

"Everything is fine."

"You didn't use to do this so much. Or did you?" Korra sighed, attempting to back away in her frustration with herself, but Asami did not let her budge.

"Korra, I didn't use to do what?" The Avatar waved her arm in what was probably the vaguest gesture Asami had ever seen.

"All…this." Asami loosened her hold on Korra's waist.

"Have I upset you?"

"No! I'm just being stupid. I'm sorry."

"You can tell me anything. You know that. And it's not stupid if whatever it is has upset you."

"I…I don't know things about you. We're best friends and now we're dating and I feel like…I told you it was stupid." Korra looked away again but did not attempt to draw back. Asami reached again for Korra's face, her thumb brushing over a cheekbone.

"You were gone for three years." She placed a finger over the lips that had opened to apologize for probably the hundredth time. "I'm a bit different. You're…well more than a bit different." She fingered one of the strands covering Korra's face. "You've given me a lot to think about and maybe there's something about this place that makes me a little bit more wrapped up in myself than usual, but I'm still me and you're still you, my best friend." Her thumb moved to rest on Korra's cheekbone, the rest of her fingers moving to cup her jaw, the skin flushing beneath at her touch. "And I don't want to know everything about you. Not yet. Won't it be fun to find out as we go along?"

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Say the perfect thing." Asami smiles, shrugging.

"It's a gift." She earned a light shove at that, her smile softening. "I've had some time to practice." They leaned closer, their breath mixing.

"Oh, so that's what's always going on in your head. Thinking of all the ways to counter whatever crazy ideas I come up with." Their lips brushed.

"You caught me." They kissed, tongues sliding lazily in their exploration. Korra's hands wandered, settling precariously low on Asami's waist. Though she enjoyed the languid kiss, the waterbender became impatient, pressing even closer but she moved too quickly and startled Asami, nearly pushing both of them down on to the log. They broke apart laughing, hanging on to each other. As their mirth died down, their eyes settled on the other's, their finally quiet breaths quickening once more.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this."

"Used to what?"

"Us kissing."

"I certainly hope not. I know I won't." They were leaning forward again, Asami's hand creeping up from its place at Korra's hip. Then Korra was gone, having darted ahead. "Seriously, Korra?"

"What?" She whirled around and the way the strange light coming through the trees lit up her face and the way her hair moved made Asami breathless.

"I was going to kiss you, you dolt." She had only taken a few steps before Korra was standing before her, her arms thrown a bit roughly around her neck but Asami did not mind one bit. She pressed a kiss to the side of the Avatar's eager face before brushing past her, a smirk spreading across her features as she picked her way through underbrush.

"Hey!"

"Maybe if you hadn't run away from me, you would have gotten a real kiss."

"Any kiss from you is a real kiss." Asami burst out laughing as Korra jogged up beside her.

"That was awful. Did you read that somewhere?"

"No. I came up with it." There was a slight edge to her voice that made Asami turn and frown. She took Korra's hand, pulling and spinning her to a stop in front of her to kiss her soundly on the lips. The dazed look on Korra's face as they broke apart reassured the engineer that she had not messed up things too badly.

"Alright. I guess it was kind of sweet." Korra beamed, leading them a bit more quickly through the forest. Asami had forgotten when she had put the map up. It poked out of Korra's backpack, bobbing as they walked. They meandered through the seemingly endless spread of trees and strange fauna. Asami swore she could hear some of the flowers whispering to each other as they passed and that a giant mushroom had winked at her. She had no idea in which direction they were heading or if Korra even had a destination in mind. Part of her ached to interrogate her guide but she quelled the urge, the other part of her enjoying the mystery of it all.

There was a substantial break in the trees ahead of them, which comforted the nonbender. She had grown rather tired of the sudden appearances of places and features. It was beginning to make her dizzy. Apparently Korra had had a plan all along, pulling her more quickly through the brush and over debris. The clearing was not all that large, merely a slice of land between the edge of the forest and a rock face. Korra released her hand to rest back against the rock.

"Hey, Asami, want to climb a mountain?"

"Korra!" Asami's shriek jerked Korra's head around. She had only looked away for a moment and now found her girlfriend on the ground, a lion dog spirit's paws on her chest. Two more of the giant spirits stood on each side of the prone nonbender, tongues hanging between their teeth. Another shriek brought Korra's attention back to Asami. The spirit was licking her face. Asami's eyes had been clenched shut since she had been tackled to the ground. "It's going to eat me!" Korra had already been struggling to bite back her amusement but at Asami's shout she burst out laughing. "This isn't funny! Help!"

"Awww, they like you." The other spirits had joined in, bumping into each other as they tried to play with Asami. "They're nice, Asami. I promise." Asami cracked an eye open, ducking her head to avoid a tongue. She relaxed a tad but when another tongue went for her face she attempted to squirm out from beneath the strange creature. Korra chuckled at the exchange and approached the spirits, nudging them off and away from the very flustered business tycoon. She offered a hand, which Asami took grudgingly, glaring at the Avatar. Korra only laughed.

"How is their drool? They're spirits!" Asami was staring down at her jacket in disdain, a string of saliva stretching from her face to her collar.

"They are lion dog spirits. Makes sense." Asami groaned, ridding herself of the slobbery garment. Korra's gaze raked her form appreciatively, jerking her head away only at the huff from behind her. The spirits were laughing at her. She waved her arms and glared, attempting to get them to knock it off but the spirits took this to mean more playtime and pounced on her and unfortunately, Asami, who had yet to turn around and found herself face-first in the grass. Before her companion could let loose another high pitched, absolutely terrifying screech, Korra managed to get the playful spirits to back off. As she helped her girlfriend for the second time, she cringed, afraid to see the expression on her face.

"Are they wearing hats?" Korra straightened in shock, completely unprepared for a reaction other than rage.

"What?"

"The lion dog spirits. Are they wearing hats?"

"I don't think wearing is the proper word." She bit back a laugh at the quizzical look on Asami's face. Part of her wanted to kiss it off of her but the shiny remains of the spirit drool warded her off.

"Oh. Right." Asami looked at the spirts, really looked at them, for the first time.

"I think they're cute." The look Asami sent her nearly had Korra in hysterics again.

"You must be joking."

"They're right there! Don't be mean."

"I'm not-" She sighed. "Fine. What were you saying earlier?"

"About what?"

"Climbing a mountain." Asami instantly regretted mentioning the subject. She found herself on the back of one of the lion dog spirits almost immediately, Korra having picked her up and placed her there before swinging herself up on to a spirit of her own. "Korra?"

"What?" The spirits had already begun their ascent, forcing Asami to lock her arms around her new "friend's" neck.

"We're going up the side of a mountain on the backs of lion spirit dogs. What do you mean 'what?'" Korra smiled apologetically, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Um. Well. Obviously they're friendly. I thought it'd be fun. We can go back down if you want." They were already halfway up the mountain if Asami's calculations were correct. Doing the math had eased her death grip on the poor spirit's neck.

"It's fine. I was just…surprised is all. Are these the spirits from Iroh's story?"

"Oh yeah! They are." Korra grinned, glad that Asami remembered.

"Does this mean we're going to run into-" They had already reached the summit. Asami dismounted in a daze, hiding a bit behind Korra. "the dragon bird." She finished in a half whisper, half gasp. Asami had never seen anything so beautiful and terrifying. Sure, Kuvira's tower of metal and its weapon of mass destruction had been shocking and horrifying, but this creature that was nearly flesh made the engineer's heart pump in a way machines just could not. She swallowed thickly as she stared up at the massive spirit, green eyes wide. Her hand was wrapped tight around Korra's wrist, dropping to her hand as the Avatar moved forward.

Korra was shocked by the painful grip around her fingers. She refused to let go, however, and approached the spirit as slowly as possible in order to give her girlfriend some time to adjust. The lion dog spirits had scampered off to the side, tumbling and playing with each other. The dragon bird spirit watched Korra and Asami in interest, bowing its head as they stopped just a few feet away. The spirit lowered its head further to allow the Avatar and her companion to run their fingers through its bright plumage, the latter of the two needing quite a bit of encouragement.

"We're not going to go flying next, are we?" Asami's question was punctuated with a nervous laugh.

"If you want to."

"I'd rather not." Korra chuckled, bumping her hip. After a few more minutes, they left the spirit to its own devices, settling down near the edge of the peak. They sat beside each other, hands tangled together and resting where their knees touched. "It's beautiful." Asami liked to think that the whole of the Spirit World was laid out before them. She knew it was not but she enjoyed the thought nonetheless. There were lakes and streams and valleys but almost everything was the "wrong" color. Somehow though, it did not look alien. It was simply stunning.

There was a fair amount of strange however. There was a jagged, dark valley in the distance, seemingly full of smoke. There was a much drearier forest than the one they had tread through down to the right. Strange spirts flew and ran, some in packs, many charging towards the new spirit portal. Asami wondered how long it took to travel across the spirit world and she nearly asked Korra, but when she looked over at her guide, she found her staring back.

"What?"

"You're beautiful." She flushed.

"That's strike two for cheesy lines." Korra earned a kiss regardless.

"What happens a strike three?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"I better make it a good one then, huh?" Asami rolled her eyes but smiled at Korra, squeezing her hand.

"This is nice. It'd be a nice place to have a picnic."

"Would you like to have a picnic? I could go get some stuff from Iroh. I would have brought stuff but I didn't think about coming this way until we had already left and I actually took us the long way because I was too embarrassed to go back through the clearing-" Asami cut her off with a kiss but it did not last long, both of them giggling too much in the times where there lips were not touching, leading them to break it off all together.

"Embarrassed, huh?" Korra flushed for a moment before a wicked glint flashed in her eye.

"Speaking of…Back at Iroh's you seemed pretty knowledgeable about some fairly obscure Spirit World stuff. Did you do your research?" It was Asami's turn to blush, but it was much more vibrant than the faint red staining Korra's cheeks.

"It's actually a bit more embarrassing than that." Korra grinned, her eyes lighting up as she leaned closer. "I read a lot while you were gone but it was not exactly for fun. I researched everything I could relating to the Avatar. I even had the White Lotus obtaining texts for me." Asami looked away. She had been embarrassed before but was mortified now that the words had finally escaped her.

"And you said I'm cheesy! You researched me! Was it to impress me? Is there a _Guide to Dating the Avatar_?" Asami groaned, burying her face in her knees, which she had drawn into herself as she spoke. Korra's grin fell away as she ran her fingers through the clearly distressed engineer's hair. "Hey. I was just joking. I think it's sweet." Asami lifted her head a bit, studying Korra. "You probably know more than I do." At that, Korra finally earned herself a smile.

"Maybe I'll let you borrow them."

"Or you could read them to me."

"Oh, so the Avatar's favorite bedtime stories are about them?"

"Of course. There aren't any better stories."

"I think the Avatar's friends always have pretty interesting stories."

"Avatar love stories are the best." Korra could barely get the words out without blushing.

"Oh? Really? I wouldn't have thought that you would like those that much."

"Why wouldn't I want to hear all the stories of how so many people fell in love with me?" Korra knew it was worth it though as Asami laughed. Her heart hurt in that moment, but not in an entirely unpleasant way. She knew she was falling and falling hard. She wondered if all of her past lives had had this moment, the very same warm not quite pain sensation in the center of their chest. For once in a long while, Korra wished she had her past lives to turn to. She had accomplished things none of her past lives had, had changed the world radically more than once, but she knew that in this case, she could use all of the help she could get.

"Earth to Korra."

"What? I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Were you saying something?" She had expected at least some irritation at her careless words but Asami just smiled and shook her head.

"Now who's the one lost in their head?"

"You must be rubbing off on me."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Definitely not." They sat in silence for several minutes, playing with each other's fingers, sneaking looks and smiles at the other. A particularly forceful tug had Korra turning toward Asami, eyebrows raised. She pulled harder, spreading her legs. Korra stared at her for a beat, her face flushing before understanding finally dawned on her. She climbed into the space Asami had created, her back resting against her tank top clad front. Briefly, Korra wondered what had been done with the slobber soaked jacket but the thought was quickly expelled as warm hands settled above the hem of her pants, her shirt having ridden up. Asami placed her head on Korra's shoulder, using the position to press kisses to the Avatar's neck. She thoroughly enjoyed the way Korra shivered against her.

Korra managed to land a few kisses of her own, turning to capture Asami's lips when she was not just content to stretch to give her more access to her neck. The spirits had vanished and Korra wondered if they had scared them off. When Asami's lips found her earlob, Korra decided that she did not care very much if they frightened the spirits. Korra's heart was hammering inside of her chest, the feeling from earlier having evolved into something much warmer and distracting. Everything stopped as suddenly as it had started however, Asami's lips leaving Korra's skin as she fell back, dragging the waterbender with her. A noise must have escaped her without her consent as Korra found Asami replying.

"Figured we could see if I like you on top."

"Oh. Right."

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm sorry." Before Asami could move her hands, Korra switched her position so that she was facing the woman beneath her, throwing a leg over her waist and an arm across her chest.

"You didn't." Asami smiled. "Don't you want the bedroll though?"

"This is perfect." Korra grinned, settling back down, her head in the crook of Asami's neck.

"Yeah. Perfect." If Korra had known to ask, she would have learned that a sensation very similar to hers had flood Asami's chest.


	6. Running

**Sorry for the horrendous wait. As I've said before, I've never really undertaken the multific mantle before. I do plan on carrying this fic on to the end though. I will attempt, to the best of my abilities, to update as regularly as possible. Thanks for bearing with me. Fingers crossed for another update later today or tomorrow.**

**This encounter was never part of my original plan. It just kind of happened. Hope you all enjoy it.**

When she awoke, Asami became aware of a general, sharp soreness in her back. It stretched from the tops of her shoulders down to the middle of her back. She found that her feet and ankles ached also, throbbing in time with her heart, but the widespread pain in her back was worth much more consideration. She silently cursed herself for not accepting Korra's offer of the bedroll, but she knew that it would have made little difference on the hard surface of the mountain. She rolled her neck, wincing as she found even more pinpoints of pain. After running a minimal movement diagnostic for the rest of her tired body, Asami was able to appreciate the warm weight upon her.

Korra's peaceful face and the touch of her skin against her own made it well worth the soreness in her form. A tiny bit of drool was forming at the corner of the Avatar's mouth, forcing Asami to bite back a snort. The movement of her chest awoke the slumbering bender, however, much to both of their dismay. Korra was practically glaring at the notion of being awake, her brow furrowed and in her mouth curled into a sleepy pout that nearly had Asami laughing again.

"Good morning."

"There is no morning here which means I don't need to be awake." Korra practically growled before settling back down on to Asami's chest, her arm tightening around her waist.

"Someone's grumpy today."

"Not grumpy. Tired."

"You're the one who wanted to climb a mountain. The spirits did all the work too."

"After I rescued you from them. Rescuing is hard work."

"It was hardly a rescue."

"You were terrified of them." Korra grinned lazily up at the blushing nonbender. "Asami Sato is scared of adorable lion dog spirits."

"They are not adorable." Korra's grin widened at the way Asami's jaw tightened.

"They might even be the cutest spirits around."

"I don't want to know what the ugly ones look like then." A smile twitched at Asami's lips as Korra laughed. "I think you're just stalling."

"Stalling? Why?"

"You don't want to get up."

"I said that, didn't I?"

"You're too comfortable." Korra's brow continued to furrow at the look of triumph spreading across Asami's features.

"Yes and?"

"You're sprawled across me, Korra. I must be a pretty good pillow then, huh?" Asami chuckled lightly as red bloomed across the Avatar's features and crawled down her neck.

"Uh-"

"It's fine. It was my idea, remember?" Korra's face had turned a vibrant scarlet and Asami intervened before the panic dancing in cerulean depths could spread. Asami squeezed the fingers still tangled with her own, her and Korra's arms thrown wide.

"You're right though. I am stalling." Asami's smile faltered at solemnity that had edged its way into Korra's tone. "I don't want to leave." She knew that the waterbender was not just referring to the way they were laying but she had to ask, had to hear the words swirling in her mind spill from the Avatar's lips.

"We don't have to get up just yet, Korra."

"I don't mean…this. I don't want to leave the Spirit World." A weight lifted itself from Asami's chest.

"We still have plenty of vacation left, don't we?" The words were sour before they even touched her tongue.

"I don't think I ever want to leave."

"Korra-"

"I know! I know. It's stupid but-" Korra blinked and sputtered as she found a pair of lips attached to her own. Asami pulled away before the surprised bender ever had a chance to reciprocate.

"It's not stupid."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I have a pretty good guess."

"Oh and why's that?" There was a pained undercurrent to her voice, a challenge in Korra's eyes.

"Because I've been thinking the same thing." Korra's eyes widened just as Asami reached up to stroke her cheek, attempting to ease the shock away. "I don't want to leave either but-"

"Do you already want to go back?"

"Korra, weren't you listening?"

"I know what you said but what else could the 'but' be? You have a company to run and I have an entire society to help rebuild, not to mention the reconstruction of Republic City."

"What I was going to say was that things didn't have to be different on the other side of the portal."

"What?"

"We can still have this back in Republic City. The peace. The ease. We'll just have to work a bit more at is all."

"Did you become a mind reader while I was gone?"

"We're just afraid of the same things, Korra." Her thumb brushed at the cheekbone beneath her hand. The duo stared at each other for several moments, minds whirring. Every furrowed brow and twitch of a frown mirrored back.

"I guess we'll just have to make the most of this." Asami smiled, pressing a kiss to Korra's forehead, earning a quiet grumble.

"What was that?"

"My lips are down here."

"Impatient, are we?"

"I did say we should make the most of our time here."

"Are you saying we won't kiss-" The twinkle in Asami's eye and the smirk playing at her lips undid Korra, forcing her to action. She had shifted up the older woman's slender form, removing the arm from around her waist and the hand tangled in hers to rest her weight by Asami's ears, pressing their lips together soundly. Her fingers dug into the rock below them as she felt that infernal smirk against her lips. Her hips moved forward involuntarily, eliciting twin gasps, breaking the kiss for a moment, but their lips soon found each other again. Asami's fingers, both hands now free, slid beneath the Avatar's tunic, nails scraping at the small of her back while her other hand crept up the back of Korra's neck, fingers tangling in the short locks.

The flapping of wings broke them apart, their faces flushing as they found the dragon bird spirit watching them from its nest.

"Maybe we should head back down." Asami spoke as she finally caught her breath, but her voice remained thick from what had just transpired. Korra, who had yet to regain her ability to speak, nodded and hopped up, quickly gathering their scant supplies. She was already striding back to where they had come while Asami picked herself up carefully from the ground, attempting to ease the ache beneath her skin. By the time she caught up to her flustered companion, the lion dog spirits had appeared, eagerly aiding them on their descent.

"So, where to next?" Thankfully, the spirits had left with little fanfare and Asami escaped without further drool damage. She felt slimy nonetheless, her tank top stuck to her skin, dirt and sweat streaked across it. Korra looked immaculate however, much to the businesswoman's displeasure. Korra's question allowed her an opening.

"Maybe back to that lake?"

"What? Why?"

"Look at me." Asami was thoroughly annoyed at herself as she blushed, Korra's eyes raking over her form.

"What?"

"I'm disgusting." The disgruntled nonbender picked at the hem of her tank top while the Avatar laughed.

"Alright. Bath it is. You can use your fancy soap that you were so desperate to pack."

"I'm surprised you remember. You were awfully distracted." Korra flushed as Asami grinned and took her hand, fumbling with the map while emerald orbs looked on in amusement. After staring unseeingly at the parchment for several moments, Korra hastily shoved the map back into her pack and began marching in a random direction, dragging Asami along behind her. "The lake has to be back that way."

"That's…uh…too far away. There's a place closer. And everything moves remember? It's not like we stumbled upon the lake."

"Good point."

"I don't think you're disgusting by the way."

"I'm pretty sure I smell."

"Okay. Maybe a little, but I didn't want to say anything." Korra laughed as Asami nudged her roughly with her shoulder.

They meandered through an unfamiliar tract of woods, encountering few spirits. They kept their fingers laced as they ducked beneath low hanging boughs and clambered over fallen trees, both wondering what knocked trees down in the Spirit World and deciding they did not need nor want to know. The forest seemed to stretch on forever, darkening with every step. Korra was beginning to worry that she had chosen the wrong path, her skin tingling at the energy thrumming around her. Something was burning at the base of her skull, a feeling or a memory attempting to reveal itself. There was a name echoing in her ears. She could not quite make it out, nor was she sure how she knew it was a name, but the sound continued to vibrate through her bones, a warning. Before she could grab on to the feeling forming, a dark shape descended on to the path, Asami's fingers tightening painfully around her own.

"Avatar. I don't think I've seen this new face. What a lovely one too." Koh. Koh. Koh. Facestealer. Koh. The name screamed inside her head from a place she could not find. With the warning delivered, the connection broke, leaving Korra suddenly drained and her skin slick with sweat. She had stepped in front of Asami, her expression schooling itself before Korra really knew how to react. It was muscle memory to a face that had yet to encounter Koh, but the reflex was there regardless.

"Koh."

"Oh, so you do remember? I had heard rumors of your lost lives. I was afraid you had forgotten me."

"Don't you mean you were hoping I had forgotten? How long has it been since you've taken an Avatars face?"

"Oh, this life has bite." Korra squeezed Asami's fingers, desperately hoping that in all her hours of research that she had encountered a mention of the dark spirit before them. She could not linger long on the thought, however, the image of a faceless Asami flashing before her eyes threatening to break her emotionless façade. She had hoped that Koh would not take notice of her girlfriend but her gesture of reassurance betrayed them, the spirit shifting closer, faces spinning in excitement. "And who is this? A new love? What a beautiful creature."

"What do you want Koh?"

"What do I always want, Avatar?"

"I'm not helpless like I was the last time we spoke. I can bend." The words spilled out before Korra could stop them. She was not even sure what she was talking about.

"Are you challenging me?"

"Let us through, Koh."

"I will but at a price."

"You're not getting any new faces today."

"I don't want a face, not yet anyway." Korra shuddered as Koh inched closer, switching faces yet again. "Tell me her name."

"What?"

"Your friend. What's your friend's name?"

"Why does it matter?"

"What would it hurt, young Avatar, to tell me the name of your love? Or can you not help but to twitch or smile when you say it? I'd much rather have her face but I'd settle for yours. You can join the past lives you can't remember." Korra fought to quell her rage and disgust, heat arcing up and down her spine.

"I'm Asami." Korra inhaled sharply but Koh had moved away, staring intently at the nonbender.

"Oh, so she does play the game. Asami. Has the Avatar told you about me?"

"No." Koh almost looked angry.

"Are you always this expressionless then?"

"I've read about you."

"Oh, have you? Wonderful."

"Will you let us through now?"

"I'm afraid not, Asami. I needed Korra to speak. Not you. I find that I must raise my price." Fire began to wrap around Korra's fingertips, the hand not holding Asami's clenching. "Do you think you can destroy me, Avatar? Do you know how many times you have tried? I am nearly as old as the spirit inside you. I am feeling merciful today. What I ask is not much. You should even enjoy it." Dread settled in Korra's stomach, the fire in her hand vanishing.

"What do you want, Koh?"

"A kiss."

"What?" A settling breath and a squeeze of her hand kept Korra from betraying herself.

"I want you to kiss Asami."

"What kind of sick game are you playing?"

"How cruel of you, Avatar. Don't you want to kiss her? You wouldn't want to upset her, would you?"

"Why?"

"Why? Why not?" Korra wanted to scream but she bit her tongue. She turned toward Asami, finding bright green clouded with fear. Tightening her jaw, she pulled Asami close, their gazes remaining locked. She considered pressing a kiss to the nonbender's cheek but she knew she had little room to enrage Koh further. With a deep breath she leaned forward, her eyes sliding shut. She nearly sighed in relief as Asami's lips met hers, meeting her halfway. There was a gust of wind and a feeling of all-encompassing wrong, but when they dared to open their eyes, Koh was gone and their faces remained. With a final look at the other, they took off sprinting, fingers squeezing painfully around the other's as they barreled through the trees. They listened for the sounds of pursuit or laughter, but their shaky breaths and heavy steps were the only sounds that reached them. Tears stained their cheeks when they finally broke through the trees and into a clearing. They had no idea where they were but they reached for each other first instead of the map, arms tight around waists and backs, their teeth knocking together and salt on their tongues. When they finally pulled apart, foreheads resting together and their breaths evening out, the gurgling and splashing of a stream reached their ears.

"I think I need that bath now too." They laughed and stumbled over each other as they darted in search of the source of the lapping, refusing to allow but the most essential amount of space between their bodies.


	7. Nerves and Bending

They had to duck back into the forest on their quest for the stream, but the trees were much less foreboding. Korra searched, momentarily, for the gnarled, twisted branches that had lined the path they had just escaped but she could not find them. Bright, lush greenery surrounded them and seemed to stretch on forever. For once, Korra was thankful for the constantly changing landscape. With any luck, Koh had been moved along with his creepy forest.

"A-asami!" A very undignified and un-Avatar like noise escaped from the waterbender as she turned from her inspection of the trees to her girlfriend peeling off her tank top. Korra whirled around as soon as her stalling mind would allow, but the image remained seared upon her eyes. Her hands tightened and loosened at her sides as her gaze flickered across the strange plants around her. She had seen Asami topless many times before. They sparred together, changed together. There was no reason for her to be so flustered. She wondered briefly if it was because she knew she could really look now or because she really, really wanted to look. When she heard a splash and turned, finding not only Asami's shirt and pants on the ground but the rest of her clothing as well, she knew it had to be the latter. Her steadying breath did little to dissipate the heat crawling down her form.

"Did you change your mind?"

"What?" Korra's eyes flickered upon everything that was not Asami as she stuttered.

"About the bath."

"Oh. Uh. I think I'm alright." She settled down on a rock near the edge of the stream, tormenting herself with Asami's closeness.

The older girl watched her companion worriedly, her brow furrowing. She glanced down at herself, freezing as a thought strikes her. After a moment of contemplation, she moved away from the bank, sinking deeper into the water and drifting farther from Korra.

"I won't bite, Korra." Asami struggled to keep her tone light, concern and hurt edging their way into her tone.

"You have the soap."

"Are you telling me that after all that teasing, you didn't pack any soap?" Asami's arched brow made Korra's breath hitch.

"Slipped my mind." She was lying of course. A brand new, still packaged bar of soap laid at the bottom of her pack.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Korra screamed yes and no so loudly in her head she was not sure which had escaped her lips. "I won't look you know."

"You've seen it all already." Korra closes her eyes tight as the words left without her consent. Asami halts her ministrations, moving a bit closer but then thinking better of it.

"Is that what's upsetting you?"

"I'm not upset."

"You won't even look at me."

Korra did not even understand the tightness in her chest or the itch beneath her skin. Attempting to formulate her sudden terror and hesitation was practically impossible, leaving the Avatar a shuddering mess upon her rock. She did not raise her head, not even as she heard the telltale splashing and the pull at her fingertips that signaled water moving and thus Asami coming closer. "Korra-"

"It's stupid."

"You keep saying that and it has yet to actually be stupid. Try me." The Avatar finally looked up from her lap, finding Asami resting nearby where the water was deeper, resting her arms on a rock ledge. Korra was beginning to think that the stream was changing but she dispelled the thought for the sake of her sanity. She knew Asami would leave the water as soon as possible if she sensed something was wrong.

"I'm nervous."

"Because of me?" There was a hint of hurt working its way into Asami's voice.

"Yes and no." Korra toyed with her fingers while her companion stared up at her with an open expression, brow furrowed in concern. "It's just…well…you're naked!" She flushes as she hears the older woman choke back a laugh, green eyes sparkling.

"Did you think I was going to jump you as soon as you got in the water?"

"Maybe."

"You're not _that _irresistible." Asami grinned as she earned a laugh from the woman above her. "I'll stay as far away from you as possible and toss you the soap. How does that sound?"

"That's not necessary."

"Whatever it takes to make you comfortable." Korra swallowed thickly as Asami smiled and moved away, busying herself with washing once more. The Avatar, after a moment of consideration and a very abrasive mental pep talk, removed her clothing as quickly as possible before she could lose her nerve and dived into the stream. Her first thought was not of the water's temperature or of "home" as it usually was when she entered her native element, but of the water's depth. It had to be changing or at the very least its surface was purposefully misleading. When she resurfaced, she found her girlfriend with a mock scowl upon her face.

"Could you have made a bigger splash?"

"You're already wet, what's the problem?"

"I didn't plan on getting my hair wet, thank you." Korra arched a brow as panic crossed Asami's features. "I didn't pack shampoo. Why didn't I pack shampoo, Korra?"

"Because you were panicking like a cornered hog monkey?"

"Oh, full of jokes now are we?" The words stung for a moment but Korra waved the feeling away at the amusement in Asami's eyes, her anxiety having already receded. She watched her for a moment, mind racing, but before she could fixate on the fact that they were both very much alone and _naked_, Korra lashed out with a bending strike, sending a wave of water over her unsuspecting companion. The shrill shriek she received in response elicited a grin that hurt her face. "I'll destroy you."

"I've heard that one before but you're at a disadvantage."

"I don't need bending to splash around."

"Did you…did you just insinuate that waterbending is just splashing around?"

"No. I'm saying it." Korra could not help but to feel as if they switched roles as she watched Asami spin around in the water and wave her arms, creating large ripples and loud, large splashes as she brought her hands down. "I'm practically a master waterbender." The Avatar knew when she was being toyed with. Asami's attempt at easing the tension was painfully transparent and in all honestly, pitiful, but Korra could not help but to laugh at the older woman's antics. The youngest, most powerful business tycoon in the world was playing in a stream in an effort to make her feel more comfortable. Her heart ached in a not entirely unpleasant way.

"So that's what you were doing while I was gone. Mastering the elements." Korra's eyes widened as the potential weight behind her words struck her but when Asami displayed no signs of distress, she relaxed. It no longer hurt to say that she had left and she hoped that it no longer hurt the other to hear it. It was a fact, a point fixed in time. She did not regret leaving. She only regretted leaving Asami behind. Korra hoped she knew that but before she could blurt out the errant thought, her girlfriend flashed a grin that nearly made her knees buckle.

"I can throw rocks pretty far too."

"You can metalbend too."

"What?" Korra nearly laughed at how taken aback Asami looked, her brows raised and eyes wide in surprise.

"What you do with your machines isn't unlike metalbending." She took the bar of soap from Asami's hand, their fingers sliding together. As the water settled around them from their childish playing, Korra found that she did not mind their closeness. Part of her ached to be closer and so she attempted to scrub the heat away.

"Except I can't make metal move with my mind."

"You know that's not how bending works Ms. I've-done-all-my-research-on-actually-everything." Korra smirked as red began to stain pale cheeks. "Really though Asami, you create things out of nothing. You make a whole out of small parts. I think that's more impressive than any bending art."

"If I thought you were joking before, I definitely know you're teasing me now." The nonbender displayed no bitterness or offense, just smiling softly.

"I'm serious! And if there's anything I've learned, it's that bending isn't the end all be all."

"That means a lot then, coming from you. Thank you." They smiled shyly at one another, silence falling as they traded the soap back and forth. They knew they were wasting it and that there was little point in their ministrations but they could not resist the slight brushes of their hands and the temptation of the other's closeness.

Much to both of their surprise, Korra broke first, launching the soap back on to the shore before throwing her arms around Asami's neck and pressing a bruising kiss to her lips, nearly forcing both of their hands underwater. Though thoroughly shocked, Asami responded in kind, her fingers skating over the planes of Korra's abdomen, but not daring to drift to high or low. In her eagerness, Korra slipped on a stone on the streambed, causing her to press and slide against the taller woman that forced Asami to break the kiss, her face flushed and her breathing ragged.

"I thought we had decided on no jumping the other?"

"I'm over it."

"So as long as we're clear, you jumped me."

"Shut up." They laughed into their next kiss.


	8. Shush

**It probably means little at this point but I'll apologize yet again at the delay. Same old, same old. College. Gross. Lazy. Yeah. Sorry for the short update but I have to slowly wade back in. I'll try and update again soon (as in actually soon). I'll try and figure out a schedule to keep to. Try and be one of those cool fics that updates on a regular schedule so y'all can yell at me and junk.**

"Korra-"

"Shhh."

"What?"

"Shhh."

"Why are you shushing me?"

"So you'll be quiet. That's what's shushing for, isn't it? You know, Asami, for someone so smart-"

"Korra, I will dunk you."

"Yes, threaten the waterbender with going underwater. Very scary." Korra's eyes widened as Asami moved to climb out of the pool, scrambling to turn around from where she had been laying on her chest. She managed to hook an arm around the taller woman's waist and haul her backwards, the duo splashing back into the water. "Hey! I'm sorry. I was just joking."

"I don't know if we're going to work out if you keep getting my hair wet." Despite her words, Asami's eyes were bright, a smile playing at the edge of her lips. Korra pulled Asami close, settling back against the edge of the water, their position from earlier switched. Asami hummed as her hair was swept from her shoulder, warm lips pressing against the newly exposed skin. She was not sure which worried her more, that the ever changing landscape, such as the river shifting into a hot spring, had stopped bothering her to the point where she hardly noticed or that the spirit world seemed to have a vested interest in her and Korra's relationship.

"I could hear you thinking." Korra's lips only left Asami's skin when she finally spoke, having traced burning lines across the pale expanse. "That's why I shushed you. I knew it had to be something bad."

"It wasn't bad. Technically."

"Nope. Not going to talk about it. No bad thoughts in the hot spring."

"You can't be serious."

"No negativity in my hot spring." Korra smiled into Asami's neck as the nonbender groaned and leaned back into her. They settled into silence, Asami quickly relaxing under the Avatar's ministrations, her head lolling to the side to grant better access. There was nothing chaste about the way Korra's lips pressed and pulled, leaving red in their wake, but the waterbender's hands did not dare to wander from Asami's hips.

"Korra…" The aforementioned hummed in response, shifting her knee and earning a strangled noise from the woman against her. Another grin against her neck had Asami turning and capturing the pesky lips that had been tormenting her. Before Korra could properly reciprocate, she had a lapful of lean limbs and dark hair. It was Korra's turn to choke back a moan as Asami paid her back in kind, red lips marking a clear path from ear to chest. She marveled, briefly, that even in the middle of essentially nowhere on a vacation where their only company would be spirits, her girlfriend still put effort into having flawless makeup, as evidenced by the lipstick stains now mirroring Asami's own red marks. Her thoughts were entirely derailed as those lips descended further and slim fingers with them. Korra's head made contact with the rock behind her, hard, but thankfully the impact went unnoticed below the water.

Asami's movements were already slowing and Korra was close enough to screaming as is. Any actual pause, she was certain, would kill her. Her legs fell apart but Asami stubbornly maintained her torturous assault on the Avatar's hips, only her hands daring to slip lower, tracing delicate patterns on the outside of Korra's thighs. The nonbender was thoroughly enjoying herself, if the grin against Korra's hip was any indication. Her nose skimmed the water, allowing her to keep her breath while her jaw worked beneath the surface. The hint of the movement was nearly enough to shatter Korra but when Asami's gaze locked with hers she swore her heart was going to slam its way through her ribcage. Instead, she felt what was remaining of the heat in her body jolting southward. The shudder that wracked her body had Asami moaning against her skin and _finally _shifting that last bit down Korra's trembling from. As her eyes slid shut, a glow flared before the lids. She wondered, absently, if Asami had managed to send her into the Avatar State like in one of those poorly written romance novels that the young tycoon denied reading but guiltily loved. When she opened her eyes, just to check, she screeched.

Rudely yanked from her work, Asami glowered at the Avatar, whose hand was still tangled in her hair from dragging her out of the water. "What? Are you going to tell me there's no or-" Korra placed two fingers against Asami's jaw and pushed her to the side before she could finish her potentially traumatizing sentence. Emerald eyes widened as they took in the form floating just a few feet away.

"I see that…uh…your vacation is going well." The astral projection of Jinora wavered, either due to the teen's intense embarrassment or amusement.

"Hi Jinora!" Everyone cringed at the Avatar's volume.

"You yelling isn't going to hide the fact that we were-"

"How's everyone back in the city?" Korra continued to shout, forcing Asami to duck and slide away in an attempt to save her eardrums and what was left of her quickly crumbling sanity.

"Hi Korra. Everyone is fine. Reconstruction is on schedule. Three apartments opened today."

"That's great!" Korra sputtered as Asami splashed her, water choking her off.

"Knock it off. Is there something you need to tell us, Jinora?"

"No, not in particular." Asami's brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing at the expression of absolute glee on the Air Nomad's face.

"Are we needed back soon?" The nonbender was not sure who she wanted to strangle, her girlfriend or the smirking astral projection. She supposed that the former would be much more satisfying.

"Oh, no. Take your time. We have everything under control here. You two just need to focus on each other." Jinora's eyes, even in the projection, were clearly alight with mischief.

"How's Naga?" It was decided. Asami was going to murder Korra.

"She missed you, of course. She's having fun though. She likes clearing debris and hauling supplies. Ikki has dragged her into her tea parties as well."

"Tell her I miss her too!" Korra frowned for a moment. "And everyone else I guess." Jinora laughed, the noise dying out as she caught Asami's gaze.

"Well, I better be going now. It was good seeing you guys." The smirk returned in full force.

"Yeah it was good seeing you too!"

"Don't have too much fun." The airbender vanished with a wink.

"Well that was nice."

"You have to be joking."

"I don't even know how long we've been gone. A week? Two weeks? I should have asked." While Korra's face scrunched up in thought as she attempted to count on her fingers, Asami fell back against the rocks with a groan.


	9. Pages

Finally dressed, but unwilling to vacate the hot spring just yet, Korra and Asami were sprawled out near the edge of the water, the latter tucked beneath the former's chin, fingers working through silky strands. Korra was not sure from whence Asami's jacket had appeared, but she was not complaining. It made for a good pillow and as long as the older woman was not wearing it, clad in a form fitting tank top instead, the Avatar found that she cared little about the mysterious article of clothing and its origins. She continued to play with her girlfriend's hair, a smile spread on her lips as the woman covering her frame hummed into her neck.

Though she was thoroughly enjoying the gentle movements against her scalp, Asami's fingers were not idle, skating up and down Korra's arm and any other smooth skin she could reach. Her nails scratched lightly over the waterbender's bicep, forcing goose bumps and shivers to follow in their wake. She smirked into Korra's neck.

"Where are we headed next?"

"Let's just stay here forever." Korra answered without thinking, seizing up as her mind caught up with her mouth. Asami ran a soothing thumb across her collarbone, her other arm tightening around her back. The limb was nearly close to sleep but she would gladly bear the pins and needles to keep the Avatar close.

"Fine with me." As she relaxed, Korra felt the press of warm lips trailing their way up her neck. The arm behind her slid and shifted, her back dropping more firmly on to the ground. She hardly noticed. She did, however, take note of how beautiful Asami looked hovering above her, light glinting off of her hair, casting her face in wonderful shadow. They smiled at one another, laughter bubbling in their chests. Neither could recall a time where they had been giddier. Asami swooped down before they could burst into giggles and break the moment, kissing the younger woman soundly. Korra's fingers returned to raven locks as the duo turned and moved together, legs tangling together, chest against chest.

There was something buzzing at the base of Korra's skull, though, that kept her from fully enjoying the way their mouths moved in sync. Not even the hand inching up her tunic distracted her. If nothing else, the light scraping at her abdomen worsened the sensation. She broke away almost violently, her head connecting with the earth below her with a sickening thunk, but the Avatar was nonplussed.

"Korra, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Under normal circumstances, Korra would have laughed at the ridiculousness of such a notion. Instead, her eyes flickered nervously, focused on something beyond Asami's shoulder. Following her gaze, the nonbender dared to turn around, brow already furrowing and jaw tight at yet another interruption.

There was nothing there. Even the hot spring remained, as if it had grown tired of transforming.

"Oh. Sorry. I…nevermind." Korra attempted to recapture her girlfriend's lips but they evaded her. Asami turned, her profile in sharp relief.

"Is this because of Jinora?"

"No." Korra cringed at the answering sigh. "Yes."

"I doubt she'll appear again anytime soon. If ever again." The dots of light dancing in Asami's eyes brought a small smile to Korra's face. Her expression wavered, however, as the light slowly died, the older woman's gaze intensifying. They stared at each other in silence, their earlier laughter long forgotten. "Korra."

"Asami." Something akin to fear was swirling in the pit of Korra's stomach.

"Do you think we're moving too fast?"

"What?" She was not sure what she had expected but the waterbender found herself surprised regardless. "What do you mean too fast?" The pool rippled beside them.

"Earlier you said you weren't even sure how long we'd been gone."

"There's not exactly day or night here."

"Exactly! And sometimes stepping through the portal feels like yesterday or a lifetime ago."

"What are you trying to say, Asami?" Korra had pulled herself out from beneath the taller woman, her arms wrapped around the knees drawn to her chest. Asami quickly backpedalled, reaching a hand out to dispel the look of hurt beginning to unfold across the Avatar's features.

"I'm not trying to saying anything. I'm just worried about you." It was Asami's turn to cringe as Korra straightened, cerulean turning a piercing shade.

"You're the one making it sound like we've done something terribly wrong. That…that we need to break up or something." The words burned leaving her throat. Her counterpart's breath hitched but she did not lower her gaze.

"No. No. No, Korra. That's not-" Asami sighed, hurriedly running a hand backwards through her hair, the strands a mess. "Just a few hours ago you didn't even want to bathe in the same stream as me. I just don't want you to feel pressured. I just…I want us to be on the same page." Asami's brow had furrowed further, her eyes bright with concern as she watched Korra. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

The sight deflated Korra. She felt ridiculous for her outburst but she filed away the need for a discussion on how to properly start such conversations for later. Her knees lowered and opened, allowing Asami to settle closer, their knees touching. Pale fingers tangled with dark, bringing a smile to the Avatar's face.

"I don't think we're moving too fast. Not if you don't."

"I don't."

"Good."

"So same page?" Korra could not help but to laugh.

"You're asking now? After running off on a vacation, alone, with me into the Spirit World of all places? After what happened in the stream?"

"And hot spring." Asami cracked a smile.

"Whatever it has decided to be today." They grinned at each other, fingers sliding and toying with the other's. They were falling towards one another again but they let it happen, warms hands skimming over clothes, lips seeking skin. They had yet to reach the ground when the broke apart, just for a moment.

"I love you." They were not sure who said it first but their grins threatened to crack their faces open.

"Definitely the same page."


End file.
